Textile printing machine



Aug. 22, 1939. H. HINTZE El AL 2,170,286

TEXTILE PRINTING MACHINE Original Filed May 8, 1936 Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES arzazsc TEXTILE rnnv'rmo moms Harry Hintze, Rock Hill, .s. 0., and. James J. Delphi, Cranston, R.'I.

Application may 8, 1936, Serial No. 78,658

' Renewed June 29, 1938 6 "Claims. 101-178) V This invention relates to improvements in textile printing machines of the type embodying an impression cylinder to which rotary motion is imparted by frictional contact with a series of printing rollers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an .improved machine of this character in which means are provided to print simultaneously at least one pattern on each of two or more separate fabrics or similar materials.

On conventionally constructed machines for the printing of textile fabrics, it is possible to print, depending upon the capacity of the machine, from one to sixteen color-combinations or patterns on one fabric, but on one fabric only, while by this invention, a plurality of separate fabrics may be printed simultaneously with one or more separate patterns or color combinations for each fabric.

' This invention is an alternative combination for carrying out the general purposes of printing two fabrics at a time as shown and claimed in our co-pending application for Textile printing machines, Ser. No. 692,808, filed October 10, 1933, now Patent Number 2,104,417, dated Jan. 4, 1938, on a Duplex type of printing machine modified to carry out the general principles of our invention, and permitting the two fabrics to be printed in accordance with our invention, to be fed, passed through and delivered from the machine in the same general vertical direction.

In the drawing, the single figure is a side elevation of a printing machine of the Duplex type modified to carry out the principles of our invention.

There is mounted in the frame I of the machine, on its horizontal shaft, the rotatable main impression cylinder 2, of comparatively large diameter, in contact with the surface of which the endless print blanket 3 travels during its passage -'around.the major portion of the face of said frictional contact with and on the opposite side of the cylinder 2, the printing rollers 26 are mounted on mandrels with fitting gears 6, in alignment and in mesh with spur gear 4 which serves to keep them in synchronism. By M, l2, l3, l4, l5 and I6 are designated the nips on both sides of the machine holding or containing: the head stocks or center boxes, the nip pressure screws, the adjusting and back-out screws for the man- 5 drel boxes, the color pan hangers, the doctor steps and boxes, and finally, the bearings, holding the mandrels which serve as temporary axles for the printing rollers when the latter are placed in the printing machine. Each-roller works thus in 10 combined spring and lever adjustable bearings which allow of its being moved whilst the machine' is in motion. The fitting gears, which may be of the same type and size, are here classified according to the side of the machine on which they 15 are used. 7

The idle spur gears 5 are mounted on the outside of frame I, radially of the axis of and equidistantly of the periphery of impression cylinder 2. The printing rollers 2| are mounted in fric- 20 tional contact with auxiliary cylinders 22 on mandrels with fitting gears 1 in substantial peripheral alignment and in mesh with fitting gears 1 to serve to keep said fitting gears I and printing rollers 2| in synchronism.

The machine above described and illustrated in the drawing may be operated by several methods.

The frictional drive by the printing rollers 26 against the main impression cylinder 2.

The frictional drive by the printing rollers 2| against the auxiliary impression cylinders 22.

The positive propulsion of the main impression cylinder 2 by a pinion 32 on its shaft receiving power from a suitable source as shown.

' The positive propulsion of the auxiliary cylin- .,ders 22 by pinions and gears on their shafts.

In the first mentioned mode of operation, rotary motion is imparted to the main impression cylinder 2 by the printing rollers 26 on their mandrels carrying fitting gears 6 which are driven and kept in register and synchronism by the spur gear 4, motion being imparted to the latter by the pinion 9 as shown in dotted lines. The main impression cylinder 2 frictionally rotates the aux- 45 iliary impression cylinders 22, frictionally impellins the printing rollers 2| and their mandrels carrying fitting gears 1 which are kept in synchronism by the idle spur gears 5.

The second mode of operation comprises the 50 frictional propelling of the auxiliary impression cylinders 22 by the printing rollers 2|. In this case suitable means of propulsion, such as the gear 34 shown in dotted lines are provided for the spur gears 5 which impel the fitting gears I 55 causing the auxiliary impression cylinders 22 to revolve and thereby frictionally drive the main cylinder 2 and consequently the printing rollers 26 on their mandrels carrying fitting gears 6 which are kept in fit or synchronism by idle spur ear 4 or if desired other suitable means of direct propulsion for a fitting gear I and its roller 2| may be provided.

The third mode of operation is the positive drive of the main impression cylinder 2 by means of a pinion rigidly fixed on its shaft and receiving power from any suitable source as by the gear 3| driving the gear 32 rigidly mounted thereon. The printing rollers 26 and 2| on their mandrels carrying fitting gears 6 and 1 are respectively frictionally propelled by the main impression cylinder 2 and are kept in register by the spur gears 4 and 5.

The fourth mode of operation comprises the positive drive of the auxiliary impression cylinders 22 by suitable means, such as by the gear 33 shown in dotted lines. In thiscase the printing rollers 2| are frictionally driven by the auxiliary cylinders 22 and kept in register by meshing their fitting gears i with the idle spur gears 5. The main impression cylinder 2 is frictionally caused to rotate by the auxiliary cylinders 22 which propel the printing rollers 26 with their fitting gears 6, being kept in fit or synchronism by the idle spur gear 4.

It is believed that the construction and operation of the machine will be understood from theforegoing description taken in connection with the drawing, but for purposes of illustration, the

process of printing two webs with a three-color combination on each, is cited.

Three engraved printing rollers 26 on mandrels with fitting gears 6 are placed in the hearings or nips 2 and I3, said gears 6 engaged with the idle spur gear 4. Thereafter, three engraved printing rollers 2| on mandrels with fitting gears I are mounted in nips l4, l5 and I6 and meshed with idle spur gears 5. After color pans, doctors etc., have been installed, the machine is ready along with it to leave at the bottom of the ma-"' chine over an idle roller. The second layer l8 comprising the web 21 and its back grey 28-are fed into the machine from below over guide roller 29, travelling along with blanket III on portions of the surface of auxiliary cylinders 22, and after having received an imprint by the printing rollers 2| innips l4, l5 and Hi, the printed web 21 leaves the machine over idle guide roller 20 above said machine for further treatment travelling in the same general direction as the web printed by rollers 26,;while the back grey 28, after having passed over a series ofidle rollers, travels along with blanket Ill and leaves at the bottom of the machine over an idle roller.

It will be readily understood by persons versed in the art that this improved Duplex printing machine offers a greatly enlarged capacity compared with that of the old, conventionally constructed machine. Whereas the example of a six-color machine has been cited, larger and smaller machines constructed under this invention lend themselves to the simultaneous printing of a plurality of fabrics or similarmaterials.

It is further understood that the machine may be provided with as many mandrels with printing vrollers and suitable fitting gears as the capacity of the machine allows, and that other details of construction may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

A set of rolls may consist of the combination of a suitable gum printing roll if employed with one or more printing rolls, depending on whether single or multi-colored patterns are desired to be printed.

It is distinctly understood that the printing machines described in the present application are especially constructed for multi-web printing, but that the process of printing on a Duplex machine of conventional design, converted for the purpose of printing a plurality of webs, falls within the scope of this invention.

It is further understood that the means of whether single or multi-colored patterns are de-- sired to be printed.

It is further understood that the positive driving of the impression cylinder or cylinders in the reverse direction from that conventionally applied to permit the two webs tobe fed in from the top and removed from the bottom, falls within the scope of this invention.

It is also apparent that in either embodiment shown, that the spur gear 4 may be rigidly mounted on the cylinder shaft.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a textile printing machine for simultaneously printing a plurality of separate webs, a main impression cylinder, a set of printing cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of one portion of said main impression cylinder in frictional contact therewith, means to guide a. web from below said machine into a position between the main impression cylinder and said set of printing cylinders, and means to guide said web away from the top of said machine, a series of auxiliary impression cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of another portion of said main impression cylinder to be frictionally driven thereby, a set of printing cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of said other portion ofthe main impression cylinder in. frictional contact with said auxiliary impression cylinders, means to guide a supplemental web from below said machine into a position between the auxiliary impression cylinders and said contacting set of printing cylinders, and means to guide said supplemental web away from the top of said machine, means to rotate one of said cylinders to additionally cause rotary movement of said other cylinders and means-to synchronize the speed of all printing cylinders of each set.

2. 'In a textile printing machine for simultaneously printing a plurality of separate webs, a main impression cylinder, a set of printing cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of one portion of said main impression cylinder in frictional contact therewith, means to guide a web into a position between the main impression cylinder and said set of printing cylinders, and to guide said web away therefrom, a series of auxiliary impression cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of another portion of said main impression cylinder to be frictionally driven thereby, a set of printing cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of said other portion of the main impression cylinder in frictional contact with said auxiliary impression cylinders, means to guide a supplemental web into a position between the auxiliary impression cylinders and said contacting set of printing cylinders, and to guide said supplemental web away therefrom, means to rotate one of said cylinders to additionally cause rotary movement of said other cylinders, and means to synchronize the speed of all printing cylinders of each set.

3. In a textile printing machine for simultaneously printing a plurality of separate webs,

a suitably driven main impression cylinder, a-

set of printing rolls spaced along the outside of the periphery of one portion of said main impression cylinder in frictional contact therewith, means to guide a web into a position between the main impression cylinder and said set of printing rolls and to guide said web away therefrom, a series of auxiliary impression cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of another portion of said main impression cylinder to be frictionally driven thereby, a set of printing rolls spaced along the outside of the periphery of said other portion of the main impression cylinder in frictional contact with said auxiliary impression cylinders, means to guide a supplemental web into a position between the auxiliary impression cylinders and said contacting set of printing rolls, and to guide said supplemental web away therefrom and means to synchronize the speed of all printing rolls of each set.

4. In a textile printing machine for simultaneously printing a plurality of separate webs, a main impression cylinder, a set of printing cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of one portion of said mainimpression cylinder in frictional contact therewith, means to guide a web into a position between the main impression cylinder and said set of printing cylinders, and to guide said webaway therefrom, a series of auxiliary impression cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of another portion of said main impression cylinder to be driven thereby, a

55 set of printing cylinders spaced along the outside of the periphery of said other portion of the main impression cylinder in frictional contact with said auxiliary impression cylinders, means to guide a supplemental web into a position between the auxiliary impression cylinders and said contacting set of printing cylinders, and to guide said supplemental web, away therefrom, means to rotate one of said cylinders to additionally cause 'rotary movement of said other cylinders, and

means to synchronize the speed of all printing cylinders of each set.

5. Apparatus for simultaneously printing a plurality of webs of fabric comprising a. rotary cylinder, means to rotate the cylinder, a group of printing rollers cooperating with the periphery of the cylinder to print a web of fabric passing therebetween, a second group of printing rollers spaced from said cylinder to print another web of fabric passing between said second group of rollers, means operable by rotation of said cylinder to rotate said second group of rollers and to advance the second web of fabric therebetween at the same speed as said first web, guiding means for bringing each web of fabric to be printed and a companion web of backing cloth together in sets, one of said sets contacting the cylinder and passing partly therearound under said first rollers, and the other set being guided between said second rollers.

6. Apparatusfor printing webs of fabric comating with a portion of the periphery of said cylv taneously to advance the respectivewebs of fabric at substantially the same speed, and means for guiding and training two separate sets of webs -to be printed, each with an associated backing cloth from separate sources of supply, one set partially around the impression cylinder and in association with the first named printing rollers, and the other set between the second group of printing and impression rollers.

HARRY HINTZE. JAMES J. DOLPHI. 

